Stevie Ray Vaughan is one of the greatest stage guitarists ever.
Now that we’ve settled that (yes, I know, these things are very subjective), let me tell you a story about the summer of 1990. That July, a couple of work buddies approached me, wanting to know if I wanted to go along to a concert. The event was to be held at the Denver-area venue of Fiddler’s Green, and the act was blues-rock master Stevie Ray Vaughan.
Now, my buddies knew I was a big Stevie Ray fan. I had a small boom box in the microbiology lab where I was working at the time, and I frequently had a cassette of Stevie Ray’s music playing. But I was still in an entry-level job, coming off the tail end of a failed relationship, and was paying child support – in short, I was broke. So I demurred. “Maybe next year,” I told them.
Of course, there was no next year. Stevie Ray was killed only days after that Denver concert.
So, sadly, I missed my chance, and even more sadly, the world lost a great, great musician. But his work is still with us, and here, in no particular order (except the last one), are six of my favorites.
Mary Had a Little Lamb (1983): I wouldn’t have guessed that you could take a little kid’s nursery rhyme and make a rock & roll tune out of it, but here we are. Stevie Ray took a nursery rhyme and converted it into a smooth, earthy tune, and it’s enough to make one wonder if he just decided one day to see if he could pull it off. He did.
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Cold Shot (1984): This one is a slower-stepping tune, with a deliberate step to it; Stevie Ray croons the lyrics, and his guitar work, instead of the usual fast, complex style, is much more deliberate and precise. It’s a bit of a different sound for Stevie Ray, but it sure works. And the video is chuckle-inducing.
The Sky is Crying (1985): In this one, like “Cold Shot,” Stevie Ray slows the tempo down, but rather more so. It has the tones of a lament, with Stevie Ray wailing the lyrics while taking the guitar on something of a roller-coaster ride. Great turn. It’s more blues than rock, and it works.
Voodoo Child (Slight Return) (1984): I love this live version, Stevie Ray’s take on a Jimi Hendrix tune. Jimi was reportedly one of Stevie Ray’s major influences, although fortunately, Stevie Ray didn’t get caught up in the drug habits that were so prevalent in ‘60s and ‘70s musicians. It killed Jimi, and I remember years later, Bob Dylan in an interview described seeing Jimi Hendrix wasted and passed out in the back of a limo, and he recounted thinking, “What a waste.”
Scuttle Buttin’ (1984): When it comes to a display of pure guitar work, there’s Frank Zappa’s “Shut Up and Play Your Guitar” and this. Stevie Ray, in this instrumental work, seems to hit all the tricks; his guitar almost sings, and not in the Peter Frampton sense, but in the “brilliant technical guitarist” sense. It’s one of my very favorite rock & roll instrumentals.
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Couldn’t Stand the Weather (1984): This is my favorite Stevie Ray tune. The video is kind of a mess, a typically early ‘80s mashup of bad acting and angry shouting, but it makes a point or two – and distracts you from some of Stevie Ray’s best-ever guitar work. “Couldn’t Stand the Weather,” though, despite the typically middling ‘80s video quality, sends some interesting Cold War vibes across if you’re old enough to remember those days.
Stevie Ray Vaughan was a rare talent, combining guitar work worthy of Jimi Hendrix with a Texas twang and gravelly vocals in a unique blend. I will never tire of listening to his work, and to this day, I still wish I’d sucked it up and gone to that concert.
I’m sure you all have some Stevie Ray favorites of your own, and as always, the comments are all yours!
